Seoul shares seen up; tech shares to set tone after Apple result

SEOUL, Jan 24 Seoul shares are likely to edge up
on Thursday, with tech shares expected to set the tone for the
session after Apple Inc announced disappointing
earnings on Wednesday.
"Apple's flagging iPhone sales could be interpreted as a
positive factor for Samsung Electronics, but in the past drops
in Apple shares did not always equal a gain in Samsung
Electronics," said Lee Da-seul, an analyst at Korea Investment &
Securities.
Strong results from IBM and Google on Tuesday as
well as an extension of the U.S. debt ceiling lifted U.S. and
European stocks on Wednesday.
But Apple Inc reported quarterly revenues that
slightly missed Wall Street expectations on flagging sales of
the iPhone.
Samsung Electronics, one of Apple's fiercest
rivals in the smartphone market, accounts for roughly 17 percent
of the main board's market capitalisation.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell
0.8 percent to close at 1,980.41 points on Wednesday, hitting a
four-session low.
-------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 22:28 GMT-----------------
INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG
S&P 500 1,494.81 0.15% 2.250
USD/JPY 88.59 -0% 0.000
10-YR US TSY YLD 1.828 -- -0.016
SPOT GOLD $1,683.97 -0.07% -1.170
US CRUDE $95.23 -1.50% -1.450
DOW JONES 13779.33 0.49% 67.12
ASIA ADRS 134.10 -0.21% -0.28
---------------------------------------------------------------
>S&P up for 6th day but Apple slip could halt rally
>Prices edge up as U.S. debt ceiling extended
>Yen steady versus dollar, but downtrend seen intact
>US oil price plunge after Seaway pipeline cuts rate
---STOCKS TO WATCH---
**LG INTERNATIONAL **
LG International Corp reported late Wednesday a
fourth-quarter operating profit of 67.5 billion won ($63.3
million) in 2012, a 129.6 percent increase from the fourth
quarter of 2011. The trading company also announced a year-end
dividend of 500 won per share, or 19.3 billion won in total.
**SAMSUNG SDI **
Samsung SDI Co Ltd reported late Wednesday an operating
profit of 58.2 billion won ($54.6 million) in 2012, up from an
operating loss of 20.2 billion won in the previous year. The
rechargeable battery maker also announced a year-end dividend of
1,500 won per share, or 67.4 billion won in total.
($1 = 1066.2000 Korean won)
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Richard Pullin)